When you look back at old TV shows and movies, the stereotypical gamer generally was an, ahem, larger person, usually with bad skin and worse body odour, living in their parents basement playing games all day and barely getting any sunlight. While that may be true for a small subsection of gamers, gaming as a hobby has gone from a geeky venture to one of the most mainstream forms of entertainment in the world.
Let’s take GTA 5 and the better-known GTA Online as an example. The game is the best-selling entertainment product of all time, with reports suggesting the game has brought in over $6bn so far and it’s still growing – 2020 was GTA Online’s busiest year to date. That wouldn’t be possible if it was just being played by ‘hardcore gamers’ – gaming is for everyone, and it’s becoming more accessible all the time.
That’s why it’s so odd that some brands idea of a stereotypical gamer hasn’t moved on when video games are more accessible to more people than ever – even popular shooters like Call of Duty are available on mobile, and my nan plays plenty of games on her iPad – and, let’s be honest, some people make an absolute killing playing games at a professional level.
And guess what? Most of these people know how to shower, socialise and live life like the rest of us. What a concept. People are fast becoming tired of the negative connotations that come with the word “gamer”, and it’s not a surprise.
Somehow Lynx didn’t get that message, today revealing a work-in-progress that, although probably just a joke to drum up some social interest, completely missed the mark. Dubbed the Spraystation, the concept attachment for gaming chairs “uses the power of deodorant to equip gamers with what they need to ‘smell ready, game ready’ without having to lift a finger”.
The company envisions the automatic release of the 2000s teenager classic Lynx Africa every 15 minutes which, as well as being bad for the environment, will quickly take you from smelling pleasant to overpowering every other smell in your environment. If you didn’t hate Lynx Africa initially, you probably would after an hour or so in this… thing.
The accessory is apparently powered by an Arduino-powered Microcontroller that activates a high-torque servo motor to push down on the deodorant and release the spray. It all seems pretty simple, but still, who really wants something like this. And, more importantly, would you have to game with your top off and armpits lifted up to get the full effect?
In all honestly, it’s very unlikely that this will ever make it to market – it’s likely just a PR stunt for an upcoming gamer-themed bodyspray range, and this is all a way to get the hype train moving. Let’s hope so, anyway…
If you are on the market for a decent gaming chair, we’ve got a roundup of the best gaming chairs right now that could prove helpful.
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Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.